Louisville boy turns 12 on 12/12/12

Aidan Jones, 11, holds a birthday cupcake on Thursday, Dec. 6, at his home in Louisville. Jones will be turning 12 years old on Dec. 12. (Jeremy Papasso/For Hometown Weekly)

Aidan Jones of Louisville has dozens of reasons to celebrate his birthday this month.

Aidan turned 12 years old today, 12/12/12 -- making it a rare "platinum" birthday in which the month of the year, day of the month and last two digits of the year all match. It's an event that won't happen again for another 89 years, on Jan. 1, 2101.

Most people refer to their "golden" birthday as the year their age matches the day of the month they were born, but only those born in the first 12 days of their birth month even have a shot at a platinum birthday.

Aidan's mother, Susan Jones, said that in the last few years she and her husband Miles realized their only child's birthday was unique. But they hadn't realized quite how rare it was until Aidan's orthodontist, Damen Caraway, talked with them about it.

"(Caraway) was like, 'Do you realize this can't happen for another century?'" Susan said.

Caraway was familiar with the circumstances surrounding the rare birthday because his daughter Avery turned 11 years old on Nov. 11, 2011, or 11/11/11.

A birthday like this happens only 12 times in a century.

Aidan was born at Louisville's Avista Adventist Hospital during a full moon 12 years ago, Susan recalled.

And he wasn't the only one.

"We had seven babies born on Dec. 12, 2000, and that includes Aidan Jones," said Avista representative Tammy Smith.

Susan said she knew that night she wasn't the only one in labor at the Louisville hospital.

Advertisement

"I can tell you the night he was born, it was a busy night. I didn't even have my regular doctor. She was already delivering another baby," Susan said.

Miles said he was fortunate to witness his son's birth. He was at sea as a deck officer with the United States Merchant Marines off the coast of West Palm Beach when he received the news that his wife had gone into labor two weeks early.

He had scheduled to take leave two days later, but Aidan was on his way. A crew boat came out to retrieve Miles, and a frantic taxi ride and last-minute flight later he arrived -- around noon on Dec. 12 -- at Avista.

Aidan was born at 9:17 p.m. that night.

"I made it in time, which was super cool," Miles said. "I was lucky. It took me eight to ten hours to get back home. I could have been anywhere (when the call came in)."

When mom and baby were released from the hospital, the Jones family went home to their first Louisville residence at 1200 Jefferson Ave.

They've moved within the city since and, from time to time, some things keep coming up 12s for Aidan.

His favorite number is three, which, of course, is one plus two.

His mom's birthday is April 12.

Aidan prefers 12-noon to 12-midnight.

He can keep a Frisbee in the air for 12 seconds.

Twelve months ago, Aidan got a unicycle and has only recently started to master riding it.

"I got it for Christmas last year so I thought I'd try it. It's really fun," the Louisville Middle School sixth-grader said. "The longest I've probably gone is around 12 seconds."

Aidan said one of the big things he looks forward to as a 12-year-old will happen in 2013 when he receives his 14th belt in karate -- his junior black belt. He has taken karate for about half a dozen years, so he's learned, "a lot more than 12 moves," he said.

The pre-teen said that in 12 years he hopes to be an architect and raising a family, but 12 kids is too many.

Aidan said he's fond of his winter birthday, even though it never falls during the Boulder Valley School District's Winter Break.

"I like that it's during winter time, it's probably my favorite season," he said. "I like it because I can go skiing or sledding if there's snow out, and it's close to Christmas (the eve of which is 12 days after his birthday)."

Because he has school that day, Aidan said he'll likely celebrate the following weekend.

"I'll probably have some friends over, eat pizza and ice cream," he said.

Aidan and his parents will celebrate the platinum birthday with a special dinner.

Miles said he might take his son out of school at 12:12 p.m. Dec. 12, to get a picture of Aidan on the milestone day.

Dye pours in 19 for TrojansSmothering. Confounding. And just a tad frustrating ... at least for the opposition.
Longmont's defense, whether they are playing a 1-3-1 zone, 2-3 zone or man-to-man -- and it can switch from possession to possession -- can give teams fits. Full Story

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story